Are there any formal professional qualifications?
Career Progression – After the basic training you will apply for a Band 7 Clinical Scientist post, these are advertised nationwide. Early in your Band 7 career you will apply for HCP registration. This is a process where you show that you are experienced enough to work unsupervised. To do this a portfolio of evidence is produced, where you can show what you have learned, both theoretically and practically, and through other experiences such as research and giving talks. You will also usually take professional exams to allow your career to progress, eventually to consultant clinical scientist level. Most clinical biochemists gain Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists (FRCPath), by taking a series of exams over the early years of your career. There is a very structured career progression for clinical biochemists, leading eventually to a consultant post (possibly as head of a large hospital department) with great responsibility, once MRCPath is obtained.
